Did you change your clocks over the weekend? (About 70 countries currently observe Daylight Saving Time, though they may follow a different schedule than in the US.) As I was adjusting clocks over the weekend, I contemplated the cost of switching to and from Daylight Saving Time (DST)—and the amount of time it takes, not […]
Mohandas Gandhi considered these to be society’s seven deadly social sins: It sure gives one something to think about.
We’ve all heard about jet lag, that messed up, a disconcerting thing that happens to our bodies after flying across time zones. It’s been said that each time zone crossed equates to one day of recovery. For my constitution, that may be a bit generous. Though thinking back to when I frequently flew, I suspect […]
It seems that I’ve recently heard a lot of complaints about this “younger generation,” known as the Millennial Generation or Generation Y (those born after 1984—or between 1980 and 2000—depending who’s doing the explaining). Employers moan that Millennials don’t want to work: they arrive late, lack motivation, and do not make good employees. Customers complain […]
I was talking with a 20-something friend and tossed out the phrase “postmodern.” His ears perked up and he asked what it meant. “You’re postmodern,” I spontaneously asserted. “I know; that’s what people tell me,” he replied,“but what’s it mean?” “First there is one aspect of postmodernity that doesn’t fit you,” I clarified. “Most postmoderns […]
My least favorite task is making collection calls, but it was again time to do so. Although it took less than an hour, I spent more than a day getting psyched up for this distasteful task. I find that I am quite adept at finding other things to do (which are decidedly more interesting and […]
I’ve been thinking a lot about vacations lately. It’s been years since I’ve taken an annual two-week break from work. This year is no exception. I wonder if this is wise. I suspect employers began offering vacations to long-term employees as a reward for their service, expecting workers to return from their two-week sojourn rested […]
Several years ago, after much planning and consideration, my bride joined me in my publishing business. Her long commute to her prior job was becoming wearisome and with winter approaching, bad weather would make it even longer and more of a concern. As we shared this possibility with others, the idea was met with raised […]
Last weekend we decided to watch a DVD. The only problem was that we were in the middle of a power outage. Undaunted, we gathered around a laptop and popped in the DVD. It would not play; something about a missing plug-in. Although frustrating, we moved to a second laptop. The DVD played fine — until the battery […]
A while back, my bride was awarded a “five-year plaque” at work—and she was miffed. Public recognition for five years of work is supposed to be a good thing. Causing angst wasn’t the intention. The goal of the award was to make her feel appreciated, to give her a reason to feel good about her job […]